Perhaps it's time in general for small-caps to begin moving upwards along with the blue-chips.
Here is a Windows CE article citing SNDK and Compact Flash. Will the CE use MMC also or no?
-Jay
________
March 01, 1998, Issue: 903
Section: How To
Ten CE Commandments -- Tips to make life
easier for HPC users.
John D. Ruley
Whether you're using Windows CE 2.0 or 1.0, the operating system is probably new to
you. After all, CE 2.0 is just a couple of months old, and at about a year and a half, 1.0 is
still a toddler. As someone who embraced CE handheld PCs (HPCs)-literally and
figuratively-almost from the start, I've discovered a few shortcuts that can help you
become a more productive CE user. Here are my 10 favorite CE tips. If you're using CE
1.0, though, you might want to start with the last one.
Add flash RAM
HPCs have limited memory-especially older CE 1.0 models. I can't upgrade my Casio
Cassiopeia A-10 beyond the 4MB it has. To get around that, I use flash RAM cards
from SanDisk (http://www.sandisk.com)
These cards fit into a CompactFlash slot on newer devices and use an adapter to slip
into the PC Card slot on early models. They act like little disks.
By putting information on the card, you avoid using up the HPC's built-in RAM and
stretch your HPC's memory.
Set Owner properties
I don't know about you, but I'd be desperate if my HPC disappeared. It has everything
on it, from my contact database to my appointment schedule to my grocery list.
To improve the odds that you'll get a lost HPC back, set your Owner properties. Select
Start/Settings, then Control Panel and double-tap on the Owner icon. Now type in as
much or as little information as you want. You don't want to give too much personal
information but you do want to let somebody know how to find you. I've listed my
name and business phone, but not my address.
Next, check the "At power on: display Owner Identification" box. Anybody who finds
your lost HPC will see your name and contact information when the machine is turned
on. Hopefully, they'll use it to get in touch with you to return it. For security, you can
set a power-on password from the Control Panel/Password icon to prevent anybody
from accessing your data and applications.
Use the keyboard
A valid criticism of HPCs is that it's hard to use one hand to tap with the stylus while
holding the unit with the other hand. I find the keyboard a useful alternative for
navigating.
You can select menu items or icons with the arrow keys, and Ctrl+Esc opens the Start
menu. The Enter key acts like a double-tap, and the Esc key closes most dialog boxes.
If you're in a hurry, tap on the screen with a finger. You can control practically all CE
features and applications from the keyboard. For details, tap Start/Help, select "Tips for
using Windows CE," and click on "Using the keyboard instead of the stylus."
Keep conversion options open
By default, Microsoft's CE 2.0 Services converts Pocket Word 2.0 documents to Word
97 format, Pocket Excel to Excel 97 and so on. But what if you don't use Office 97? Well,
you can easily convert to older versions of Office applications. Double-click on the
Mobile Devices folder on your desktop PC, click on the icon for your HPC and select
Tools/File Conversion.
>Click on the Device-Desktop tab, and the type of document you want to
convert-Pocket Word document, for example. Then click on the Edit button. You can
now select any of the compatible formats. Word 6.0/95 is compatible with Office 95.
Still using CE 1.0? You can use the same approach with HPC Explorer.
Customize Pocket Office apps
Pocket Word has been upgraded with a number of significant features in CE 2.0, among
them a functional spell checker. Other enhancements, however, are less obvious.
By default, Word doesn't show vertical or horizontal scroll bars. That leaves more room
for your on-screen document. If you want either or both back (I'm lost without the
vertical scroll bar), select the View menu, and then tap on Horizontal Scroll Bar or
Vertical Scroll Bar as appropriate.
On the other hand, if you prefer a completely unobstructed screen, select View/Full
Screen. Not only will the scroll bars disappear, but the menu and taskbars will, too. You
can get them back simply by tapping on the Restore button.
Auto-Hide
The taskbar is one of Windows CE's best features, but it takes up an excessive amount
of an HPC's small screen.
If you want more screen real estate for your applications, try this: Hold down the Alt
key and tap the taskbar, then tap on the resulting pop-up Properties menu. When the
Taskbar Properties dialog pops up, check the Auto-Hide box, then tap on OK.
The taskbar then disappears, leaving only a thin line at the bottom of the display. Tap
on that line, and the taskbar pops up. Tap anywhere else and it goes away again,
leaving only the thin line.
Quick calendar entries
Windows CE 2.0's PIM applications (contacts, calendar and tasks) have been enhanced
in several ways. One of the nicest enhancements is also one of the simplest: You can
now create an appointment in your calendar simply by tapping on a time and typing.
You no longer need to fill in a form with detailed information when a one-line note will
do. If you want to add more precise details or use non-default reminder settings, just
double-tap on the calendar entry.
Import your contacts database
You can import data from just about anywhere into Windows CE 2.0's contacts
database, if you can get the data into tab-separated variable format.
Most applications support the format as a Save As or Export option. If not, try printing
the database using a text-only print option, print the result to a file and edit that in
Notepad. You then import the resulting file into Microsoft Outlook. From there, you
import it into the Windows CE Contacts app via ActiveSync. This second method also
works with CE 1.0, using the Synchronize command in HPC Explorer.
You can also transfer data with Puma Technology's Intellisync
(http://www.pumatech.com), an application that synchronizes data between Windows
CE and most popular desktop PIMs.
An HPC may not be enough
I hate to say it, but sometimes you're better off with a notebook computer than an HPC.
Other times, an HPC isn't enough; you need a notebook to accompany it.
That's especially true if you must create content on the road-particularly business
presentations. While Microsoft's Pocket PowerPoint can display and annotate slides, it
can't create new ones. For that, you need PowerPoint 97 and a desktop or notebook PC.
Although you can use Pocket Word and Pocket Excel to create simple documents or
spreadsheets, factors like the limited formatting options, lack of document-linking
capabilities and complete absence of macro support make them less than ideal for
heavy use.
And, of course, HPCs do have tiny keyboards and screens. I find them adequate for
notetaking, and I'm perfectly comfortable with an HPC on short business trips. But for a
long session away, I'd think seriously about bringing a notebook PC as well.
Upgrade your CE 1.0 HPC
Are you a CE 1.0 HPC owner? A CE 2.0 upgrade will give you ActiveSync, updates to
all the built-in applications, plus new ones like Pocket PowerPoint. Most upgrades cost
less than $100, and several include a memory upgrade. Check with your HPC vendor
(you'll find a list at winmag.com
While the exact procedure varies from vendor to vendor, in most cases you'll connect
your HPC and desktop, and use HPC Explorer to create a full backup of all HPC data.
Next, remove both the main and backup batteries in the HPC (this erases all data-that's
why you need a backup!), and replace the ROM according to the manufacturer's
instructions. Then replace the main and backup batteries. On power up, you'll see that
Windows CE 2.0 is loaded.
You will also have to replace HPC Explorer with Windows CE Services on your desktop,
after which you can restore the data you backed up. Finally, you must reinstall all
add-on applications. The upgrade procedure does not preserve them.
Senior technology editor John D. Ruley is principal author of Networking Windows NT
4.0 (John Wiley & Sons). Contact John care of the editor at the addresses on page
Copyright (c) 1998 CMP Media Inc. |
